During the exchange by the UN Special Procedures with civil society, NGOs and national human rights institutions, the ICJ identified good practices in coordination by Special Procedures with treaty bodies and the UPR.
The ICJ also called for enhanced cooperation with civil society as part of the working methods of the Special Procedures.
The ICJ welcomes the first-ever UN Human Rights Council resolution on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The resolution, introduced by South Africa and Brasil with 39 additional co-sponsors, expresses concern about violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and calls for the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights to prepare a study to document discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, in all regions of the world, and how international human rights law can be used to end violence and related human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The study will be followed by a panel discussion at the Human Rights Council at its 19th Session. The ICJ congratulates South Africa and Brasil on this historic achievement.
HRC Resolution Sexual Orientation Gender Identity-web story-2011 (Full text, PDF)
The ICJ and other human rights groups considers that “the draft resolution before the Council falls far short of what is needed”.
“If the Council adopts the resolution as it stands, it will have failed in its fundamental mission to advance the protection of human rights,” they fear.
Human Rights Council Resolution 12/2 invites the Secretary-General to provide a ‘compilation and analysis of any available information’ of alleged reprisals and to formulate ‘recommendations on how to address the issues of intimidation and reprisals’.
NGO experience highlights the lack of protection for victims of reprisals and the resulting reluctance to report such cases. The absence of broader and more long-term recommendations on addressing reprisals compounds this lack of protection. This panel discussion seeks to explore ways in which various actors can raise awareness about and increase the effectiveness of the Council’s efforts to combat reprisals, including by improving protection for those concerned.
On 3 June, the ICJ and other human rights groups organized a parallel event at the Human Rights Council on “Combating Impunity: The Role of Judges and Lawyers in Times of Crisis”.
The panel comprised Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzón (photo), Wolfgang Kaleck (General Secretary, European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights) and Robert Husbands (OHCHR-Rule of Law and Democracy Section); Immaculada Barcia (Asian Legal Resource Centre) moderated the discussion. The meeting addressed the responsibility of jurists to protect and promote human rights vis-à-vis governmental attempts to interfere in and block investigations and prosecutions against former State officials even in the case of serious human rights violations.
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